


The Basement

by AliMaria122



Category: Original Work
Genre: Original Character(s), Original Fiction, Prompt Fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-08
Updated: 2021-03-08
Packaged: 2021-03-15 06:53:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,965
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29929575
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AliMaria122/pseuds/AliMaria122
Summary: This is a story that I had to make in my creative writing class that we had to base on a image fro the Harris Burdick Mystery Photos. This is the story i made to go alone with the picture.





	The Basement

https://www.google.com/search?q=harris+burdick+basement+photo&safe=strict&sxsrf=ALeKk02jcdRLOTzFtAjz7mDgGHO2EZnwsg:1615245109789&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwidwfn36KHvAhXP6Z4KHWJ8DRIQ_AUoAXoECA0QAw&biw=1360&bih=625#imgrc=ZQGqv39nX67udM

Layla woke up that morning to a quite stillness that blanketed the small cottage like one floor house. Layla was now fully awake and confused about why she couldn’t hear any sounds in the house, she expected her parents to be getting ready for work. Her mother, Julie, is 30-year-old and has brownish-red hair that is straight, she works as a part time mechanic at the local auto-body shop. Her father, David, is a 34-year-old that has been working as a defence lawyer for the last 15 years of his life. 

Layla got up and felt a chill roll through her body from the cold morning air. Layla waited one more minute trying to get use to the nipping cold before moving her blanket off. She lifted her blanket over her legs and moved them to the side, she heard the creak of her rusty old metal framed bed as she moved. She set her feet down and right away pulled them back up surprised by the biting cold on her floor. She put her feet back on the ground then got up and fast walked to her dresser. She opened the top draw to her dark wood long dresser. 

She pulled out a pair of warm fuzzy socks and turned around pushing her draw closed hearing it slam closed. She quickly walked over to her bed and sat down on the edge pulling her socks on to cover her feet from the freezing floor. Layla got up and walked towards her parent’s bedroom expecting to hear a sound coming from behind the plain white door but she heard nothing. She pulled open the door and looked in to see that they were not in their room. She looked around the room and saw the blue bed sheets pulled up and the bed made as if no one slept in it. She stepped into the room and walked around. She could smell her mother’s unnaturally sweet perfume, it burned her nose and felt as if she was going to sneeze every time she smelt it. 

She continued moving around and saw no other signs that her parents were there. She moved out of the room and continue to the next place they would be. She walked into the kitchen and could smell the fresh bitter coffee. She looked over to the coffee pot seeing it full and steaming on the counter with her mothers plain white mug. She walked towards the counter where the coffee was sitting. She brought her hand up to the pot and felt her finger burn at the touch. She guessed the coffee just finished which led her to believe that her parents were still home. 

Layla walked around checking every room till there was only one room left. Layla was starting to worry about where they could be. The only room left was the basement. Layla slowly walked towards the door reaching out her hand to grab the handle. She pulled open the door and saw the creaky old wood stairs leading down to the old, dark, dusty basement. Layla walked forward and flicked on the light switch. The light turned on lighting up the stairs. She didn’t dare make a sound. She opened her mouth and took in a big shaky breath and all she could taste was the dirt and dust in the air. She tried to hold in a cough but couldn’t. Layla held her hand over her mouth trying to muffle her coughing fit as if the sound would wake some unnatural force in the basement. 

Once she was down her loud and disruptive coughing Layla made her way to the stairs descending down to the basement. Layla stepped onto the stairs hearing the creak of the old steps sounding as if they could give way at any moment. She looked forward and saw a dusty old rug standing up tall in the corner of the wall. It was a dark grey colour and was tied together in two different spots with tough scratchy yarn. Next to the rug was a dusty white figure skate hanging from the roof by its lace. 

Underneath the skate was an old wood door with a small handle sticking out. She continued down the stairs and moved towards the rug curious as to what it looked like unravelled. Layla stretched out a hand going for the top yarn that was tied around. She found the knot and started working on releasing it. She kept pulling at the different sections of yarn till finally it gave way and the yarn untied, now that it was loose Layla could see that it wasn’t actually a big rug but was fairly small, she guessed that something must have been wrapped inside her she was even more curious to know what was inside it now. She leaned down and got to work on removing the next string. 

As she leaned down her head was now closed to the rug and she could smell something new, it was a really gross smell that confused her. She didn’t understand what the smell was and it smelt really bad. The closest thing she could relate it to was rotten eggs but way worse. She started untying the yarn faster. She finally was able to undo the yarn and tugged it off. The rug fell open and before Layla could see what was hidden inside it the rug and the hidden object started falling down not standing up, she looked down to see the rug laying open on the ground with her fathers’ body lying on top. 

She started down at the body only focused on it, because she was distracted Layla didn’t hear someone enter the house and walking towards the basement door. Layla got down onto the floor and went to the body. Layla was young but she understood that her father was not still alive or breathing. Layla released a shaky breath and let out a shriek the realisation of what she just found crashing down on her. She screamed and jumped up ready to get out of the basement. She turned towards the door just as she saw it shut. She heard the click of a lock and ran upstairs trying to open the door. 

She jiggled the door handle waiting for the door to open but it wouldn’t budge. She looked at the door and slowly started giving up. Layla slid down the hard door and sat in front of it crying and curling her knees up to her chest. She was terrified. Layla sat there crying for what felt like hours. Finally, when she was all out of tears she remembered the door in the basement. She stood up standing on shaky legs and moved back down into the basement avoiding looking at her father. She walked to the door and got on her hands and knees. 

She lifted up her hand to the door and could feel and see the dirt and dust on her hand from the floor. She blew her hand off before wiping it on her dark red burgundy pajama pants. She reached for the handle and started pushing and pulling on it trying to open it. All of Layla’s hope came to a crashing halt when the door didn’t open. She stared at the handle and continued trying to pull it open, she wanted out of the basement and she was desperate. She got up and started searching the basement for anything she could use to open the tiny door. 

The basement was basically empty other than the skate, and an old dusty desk and a shovel. Layla looked at the shovel and decided it was her best option to try and open the jammed door. She grabbed the old wood handle and could feel the pricks of the peeling wood poke her in the hand but at the moment she didn’t care how many slivers she got she just wanted to get free. She lifted the shovel up and walked towards the door. She started by using the shovel to pus against the door but it didn’t have enough push on it so Layla switched to frustratingly banging the shovel against the door. 

She continued shoving the shovel into the door than she saw a piece of wood chip off from the door. Layla felt her hope renew and continued her work with the shovel. Pieces of the wood door were starting to splinter off and break apart. She could see some light coming from the other side through the tiny hole. Layla was so excited to see that the door lead to somewhere. Once Layla made her first hole it became easier to start breaking the door. Once there was a big enough hole for Layla to stick her hand through she moved over to the door and shoved her arm through the hole feeling the pieces of wood sticking up scratch up her arm but she didn’t care. 

She moved her hand over and started shaking the handle on the other side hoping that would work to open it. Again, the door didn’t budge. Layla brought her hand back through and moved onto her back and decided to try kicking the door with the bottoms of her feet. Layla moved her feet towards the door and started putting as much power as she could into kicking. She started by hitting with one foot with her heal and felt the door push a little. She decided to try both her feet and started feeling the door give way, it took a few more kicks before the door finally moved opening. The door only popped open an inch. 

Layla quickly moved back onto her knees and used her arms to push the door open. It moved open and opened up to a cellar that had stairs leading up. Layla got on her arms and legs trying to worm her way through the small opening, she was just small enough to make it through. She quickly crawled over and stood up running towards the stairs. She ran up the stairs and saw a handle to push the door open. She grabbed the handle and pushed it down hearing the click of a latch opening. She pushed the door and it opened. Layla was overjoyed to be out of the creepy old basement. She quickly moved out of the cellar and noticed she was in her backyard. 

She quickly crouched down not sure if whoever locked her in the basement was still in the house. She slowly waddled in the wet muddy grass towards the front of the house, planning on running to a neighbour's house to call the police. She made it to the front and decided to run to Mrs. Ludwin’s house. She knocked on the door rapidly till finally the elderly lady opened the door giving Layla a start. Mrs. Ludwin took one look at Layla and gasped. 

“Young lady what happened to you?” Mrs. Ludwin said worried for the 13-year-old girl. Layla tried to tell the little old lady but she was having trouble saying anything. Mrs. Ludwin noticed Layla was having trouble so she pulled her into the house and sat her on the couch. Layla could only get one sentence out. 

“May I use your phone please.” Layla said frantically. Mrs. Ludwin didn’t answer just moved over to her desk grabbing the house phone and bringing it to Layla. She grabbed the phone and dialled the number that’s been drilled into her since she was a kid. “9-1-1 how can I help you?”.


End file.
